donsutherland1 Posted April 2, 2015 Share Posted April 2, 2015 After an early bout of cold and snow in November, Winter 2014-15 seemed to have ended as suddenly as it had begun in the greater New York City area. November had a mean temperature that was 2.4° below normal. An El Niño appeared to be taking hold and the widely-publicized Snow Advance Index promised a negative Arctic Oscillation. Early dreams of a white Hanukkah and later a white Christmas melted away in the face of the warmth that took hold near mid-December. Even as the Grinch proved unable to stop Christmas from coming to Whoville in Dr. Seuss' classic, the warm weather Grinch had far better success in stealing a snowy Christmas. On December 25, the mercury soared to 62°. Total December snowfall came to one inch and the month was 3.0° above normal. January arrived with mild readings. A short and sharp shot of cold that arrived near the end of the first week in January almost added insult to injury, as it receded before mid-month. Through January 23, New York City had received just 3.7" snow. Some impatient snow geese were already tossing Winter 2014-15 onto the scrap heap of winter futility. Speculation as to what "killed" the winter before it could begin ran wild. Nightmares of such Winters as 1997-98, 2001-02, and 2011-12 proliferated. But then, Winter 2014-15 awakened from its slumber. Perhaps, its alarm clock had failed to go off at the start of meteorological winter. Whatever the case, suddenly took hold with persistent and frequent severe cold and abundant snowfall. February 2015 had a mean temperature of 23.9°, the 3rd coldest February on record in New York City. That figure was a record-breaking 11.4° below normal. Winter storms deposited 13.6" of snow. March arrived, but the late-arriving Winter 2014-15 was in no hurry to depart. Instead, the snows continued to fall. In total, 18.6" snow fell in New York City, the most snow in March since 1956. The month had a mean temperature of 38.1° (the coldest March since 1984), which was 4.4° below normal. In the end, Winter 2014-15 was a cold and snowy winter. Seasonal snowfall came to 50.3" in New York City. Much more fell in many of the City's suburbs, with parts of Long Island approaching and reaching 70". While one looks ahead toward what the spring and summer might bring (severe weather? tropical cyclones? heat waves?), and perhaps the following winter, it is also fun to speculate how this past winter will be remembered in the years ahead. Almost certainly, coming generations, especially in southern New England, will reference it as the winter when the "Great Snow" of the early colonial era returned. Perhaps even sooner, the next time snowfall through late January is deficient, some will argue for a repeat of what happened this winter. Maybe at some distant point in the future, another winter will stage a similar comeback, so to speak. However, such special winters are not very common. Winter 2014-15 will very likely retain a place in the annals of meteorological history. To borrow from Jerry (Weathafella), long live winter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uncle W Posted April 2, 2015 Share Posted April 2, 2015 nicely done Don...I was getting edgy myself in mid January but being an el nino although weak gave me hope February would produce...If the blizzard was 50 miles more west we would be talking top five of all time... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donsutherland1 Posted April 2, 2015 Author Share Posted April 2, 2015 nicely done Don...I was getting edgy myself in mid January but being an el nino although weak gave me hope February would produce...If the blizzard was 50 miles more west we would be talking top five of all time... Thanks Uncle W. I agree with respect to the blizzard. The picture with the drift was taken in Greenport. A closer track to the coast might have produced similar scenes in parts of the City. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmillz25 Posted April 2, 2015 Share Posted April 2, 2015 I never wavered tbh i knew it would eventually snow but not as much as what really fell Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
donsutherland1 Posted April 2, 2015 Author Share Posted April 2, 2015 I never wavered tbh i knew it would eventually snow but not as much as what really fell A number of people here didn't abandon hope. Still, in the broader universe of social media, one found a lot of commentary that 2014-15 was a "non-winter" so to speak. It turned out to be a fun winter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmillz25 Posted April 2, 2015 Share Posted April 2, 2015 A number of people here didn't abandon hope. Still, in the broader universe of social media, one found a lot of commentary that 2014-15 was a "non-winter" so to speak. It turned out to be a fun winter. A perfect example was DT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongBeachSurfFreak Posted April 2, 2015 Share Posted April 2, 2015 Well written Don! It definitly was a special winter. And I love the refrence to the colonial snows an event that has always fascinated me. The more amazing thing about this winter compared to that is that, that happened at the peak of the little ice age!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthShoreWx Posted April 3, 2015 Share Posted April 3, 2015 Nice write-up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowshack Posted April 5, 2015 Share Posted April 5, 2015 Enjoyed that summary very much Don, thanks! Every now and again I look at some printed photos from winter '95/'96...its amazing how much older they look than they are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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